Ever notice how a team celebrates a landmark win one week just to agonize a loss the next? Already, Oklahoma State, USC, Florida State and Washington have followed hallmark victories with a loss. Granted, it’s not a foolproof way to cash in. Nothing in the wagering world is, but more times than not, it’s a trend for the bettor to follow closely and one you can read about in my column this week for Covers.

Covers is second to none in coverage of industry news, statistics and advice. Check the site's excellent matchups page, featuring previews, trends and line moves.

1. Colt McCoy, Texas–McCoy threw for 337 yards and three touchdowns against Wyoming and added an interception, plus 44 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown.  On the year, he is 51 of 76 (67 percent) for 654 yards, 5 touchdowns, 2 interceptions, with 41 rushing yards and 1 rushing touchdown.  He won’t face legitimate competition until mid-October and so his position on top of this list is unlikely to budge until then.  For now, he remains the player most likely to win the Heisman.

2. Tim Tebow, Florida–He had a Tebow-esque game against Troy, throwing for 237 yards on 15 of 24 passing, with 4 touchdown passes and no interceptions.  He also ran for 71 yards and a score.  On the year, he is 25 of 39 (64 percent) for 425 yards, 5 touchdowns and no interceptions, to go with 72 yards and 2 touchdowns on the ground.  He’ll get a chance to show off this weekend against Tennessee in a game no one would care about if it weren’t for Lane Kiffin’s big mouth.  As with McCoy, his real tests come starting in October and so his position here is unlikely to change until then. 

3. Jahvid Best, Cal–Best ran for 144 yards on 17 carries against Eastern Washington.  He had a touchdown rushing and a touchdown receiving.  On the year, he has 281 yards on 27 carries (10.4 average), 3 rushing touchdowns and 4 catches for 42 yards and 1 receiving score.  While McCoy and Tebow won’t be focused upon until mid-October, Best has a chance to stick out a bit in the next three weeks, as he has games at Minnesota, at Oregon and then the big one versus USC.  If he turns up the production a bit in these next three games, he’ll be in pretty good shape, especially if Cal remains undefeated.

4. Daryll Clark, Penn State–Had another nice game this past week, throwing for 240 yards and 3 touchdowns (with one pick) on 20 of 31 passing against Syracuse.  For the season, he is 49 of 71 for 593 yards with 6 passing touchdowns and 2 interceptions.  His schedule isn’t especially conducive to a Heisman run, but if he keeps playing well and Penn State remains undefeated, he’ll be a viable option if any of the others in front of him screw up.

5. Max Hall, BYU–Hall went 24 of 32 for 309 yards, with 2 touchdowns and 1 interception against Tulane.  On the year, he is 50 of 70 for 638 yards, with 4 touchdowns and 3 picks.  Hall gets Florida State this week and it’s a shame for him that the Seminoles looked so bad against Jackson State, as he won’t get as much credit if the Cougars win this one.  If BYU gets through the season undefeated and Hall’s numbers look good, he’ll have a shot at the Heisman if the others ahead of him falter.

6. Joe McKnight, USC–McKnight didn’t do well enough against Ohio State to catapult himself into the upper echelon of Heisman contenders, but he did do enough to stick around for a possible late-season run.  He rushed for 60 yards on 16 carries and caught 2 passes for 45 yards, but many of those yards were clutch in the final minutes of USC’s dramatic win, so he did well when everyone was watching.  On the year, he has 205 rushing yards on 30 carries (6.8 ypc), and 3 catches for 66 yards.  He needs to get to 1,500 yards on the season to make a legitimate case for the Heisman.

7. Dez Bryant, Oklahoma State–Bryant played well in OSU’s lost to Houston, catching 5 passes for 75 yards and returning a punt 82 yards for a touchdown.  Unfortunately, he couldn’t make the plays needed to save the Cowboys and so he takes a hit in the Heisman race.  However, this is where being a receiver in the race is beneficial, as he won’t take as much blame for the loss as he would if he were a quarterback.  On the year, he has 8 catches for 162 yards and 2 touchdowns and has 3 punt returns for 111 yards and 1 score.  If he can be the catalyst for a Cowboy run at the Big 12 title, he will start to jump back up in this race.

8. Jevan Snead, Ole Miss–Bye.  Snead is barely hanging on this list.  I doubt whether he will put up the numbers he needs to compete with the other quarterbacks, but as long as Ole Miss is undefeated and he performs well, we’ll keep him here.

Dropped Out:  Jimmy Clausen, Terrelle Pryor–Both these guys can still have great seasons and even get some Heisman votes, but anything they do will mostly serve to set them up for a run at the 2010 Heisman. 

If the Vote Were Held Today

1. Colt McCoy

2. Tim Tebow

3. Jahvid Best

4. Max Hall

5. Dez Bryant

6. Joe McKnight

7. Case Keenum

8. Eric Berry

9. Tate Forcier

10. Jimmy Clausen

T-Wire's BetUS PICKS is back!

We would have scratched last week, but in the words of Bobby Bowden, Gah dammit, we just couldn't lay off and lost $50 on Florida State.

Here are our picks after 5 minutes of thought before we head to the airport for Columbus.

Three Team Parlay $25 to win $150
Notre Dame (-4) over Michigan
USC (-7.5) over Ohio State
Nebraska (-22) over Arkansas St

If you care to join us, or show how much better you are at this than us, sign up with BetUS... they've got our game.

• Returned a senior Heisman contender in his third year as a starter at quarterback.
 • Were subsequently exceptional (and balanced) on offense, finishing in the top six nationally in total yards and scoring.
 • Were ludicrously talented: Miami sent eight players up in the '03 draft (four in the first round), and USC had 11 players taken in the '06 draft (five in the first two rounds, all on offense).
 • Went wire-to-wire on top of both major polls entering the bowl game.

And, of course, both lost classics as relatively substantial favorites (Miami -11 over Ohio State, USC -7 over Texas) in the final game.

The superficial similarities between this year's Gators and the '05 Trojans are really startling -- both are coming off championship wins over Oklahoma in Miami and have no competition whatsoever as the preseason favorite -- down to their Heisman-winning, golden boy quarterbacks taking it easy in the classroom. There's also the "greatest ever?" hype that incensed so many fans ahead of the '06 Rose Bowl, and that looms ominously over the horizon if Florida gets out of Baton Rouge unscathed on Oct. 10. The parallels are hardly lost on Pete Carroll, given the task of throwing cold water on the Washington Times' "Tebow greatest?" story on Tuesday:

"Look, I think Tim Tebow is fabulous, but it seems like just yesterday we were having exactly the same discussion about Matt Leinart and along comes Texas and Vince Young. It can all change in the blink of an eye, so I think we have to let it all play out before we evaluate careers."

I'll sign on to that bit of hindsight/foresight, especially if it means we get a game as enthralling as the '03 Fiesta or '06 Rose bowls this January.

Another interesting corollary between '02 Miami and '05 USC: Both had to come from behind for a literally last-second win over a rival in October (Miami survived an upset bid from Florida State on the "Wide Left" kick; USC has the Bush Push at Notre Dame), and both were somewhat exposed in too-close-for-comfort shootouts late in the season against outmanned Virginia Tech and Fresno State, respectively, widely ignored signs of their eventual demise. Just worth keeping in mind if LSU or Georgia takes the Gators to the brink.

• Day of the darkhorse. The cover curse lived large last year, when three of the five teams featured on the front of Sports Illustrated's regional previews -- Missouri, Ohio State and Georgia -- fell far, far short of national expectations, and a fourth, Southern Cal, was snubbed again by the voters after its fourth loss as a double-digit favorite in three years. Ever the egalitarian doom-bringer, SI turned its attention this year to the underdogs: Of the regional cover boys, Oregon, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss and Penn State, none is really considered a legit national championship contender of the variety that usually graces the "[Insert team] is No. 1" headline; in this case, none is even projected as No. 1 in its own conference. But given the buzz and potential of those four schools, they are four of the most interesting teams of the season, if nothing else -- and as 2008 proved yet again, those "[Insert team] is No. 1" covers haven't always gone so well, anyway. Right, Keyshawn?

Curse aside, congratulations to Oklahoma State for gracing the cover for the first time in school history, for anything. (Even Barry Sanders didn't make it.) Just, uh, don't let it go to your heads, huh?

• For the affluent sadist ... Speaking of buzz, I don't know how much there is surrounding USC's trip to Notre Dame on Oct. 14 after last year's embarrassing 38-3 blowout in the Coliseum, the Trojans' seventh straight win in the series. The average score of those games: USC 41, Notre Dame 14. Clearly this remains a really sizzling ticket.

No, seriously, it does: According to Forbes, USC at Notre Dame is the most expensive game of the upcoming season, with tickets topping out at $3,500. In fact, SC games account for three of the most expensive tickets in Forbes' top 10, with the Trojans' dates with UCLA ($1,650) and Ohio State ($1,500) also fetching top dollar; only Georgia fans, who'll have to shell out in the neighborhood of $2,000 per home game thanks to staggering donation requirements, will be paying more. By those standards, the actual game of the year nationally, Oklahoma vs. Texas ($1,389) is a steal.

• Bummer, man. Well, no need to hurry back ... The initial verdict on Aaron Corp's "injury" during USC's Monday practice was nothing: He missed all of three plays before returning to the lineup. Turns out, though, it was something: Corp woke up in pain and didn't practice Tuesday, instead "wearing a slight grimace on his face" as backup/freshman phenom Matt Barkley tried to make the most of his COMPETITION TUESDAY with the first team.

Ultimately, this is probably going to look a lot like Mark Sanchez's preseason knee injury last year, which kept Sanchez out of practice for a few days but was quickly forgotten and cost him zero snaps during the season -- Corps is scheduled to undergo an MRI today, even though the X-rays Tuesday reportedly said he didn't suffer any ligament damage. But Corp doesn't seem to have the unassailable grip on the job Sanchez did (Pete Carroll himself brought up the name Wally Pipp and begged out of speculation about the future of the job), and every rep he misses is a chance for Barkley to even an already-narrow gap between him and significant playing time.

• Buckle up for Brantley Ball. Aaaaand speaking of significant playing time, it sounds like Florida has committed to spreading it around, even at quarterback:

GAINESVILLE - Expect to see John Brantley quarterback the Florida Gators in the first halves of games for once -- and not just against cupcakes or in mop-up time.
[...[
"He's starting to earn that right," said Meyer at UF Media Day. "Unless he screws up and starts to hit reverse on that practice field, then we'll back off. "
[...]
"But Johnny, we have to get him ready to go. He's starting to really impress me. ... He's becoming John Brantley, the future star quarterback of the University of Florida. ... It's fun to watch."

Just another step toward eliminating the total Tebow-ness of the offense, of course, but a farsighted one to make Brantley more of a known quantity before the offense is his show in 2010. Unlike Tebow's largely random appearances behind Chris Leak in 2006, Brantley will probably be on a regular rotation, say, the third series of the first half (and a substantial portion of most fourth quarters, in all likelihood).

Quickly ... Much more news on the Florida front after UF Media Day: Athletic director Jeremy Foley has "not seen much negativity at all" about Urban Meyer's big raise. Apparently Foley hasn't been reading the papers in South Carolina. ... Brandon Spikes remains a terrifying human being in basically all respects. ... And Gator quarkback Jeff Demps thinks about a 1,000-yard season, hones his clichés. ... Oklahoma is so short at center for the moment that the Sooners are letting tight end Brody Eldridge handle some snaps, just in case. ... He won't be there long, but Rutgers' All-Big East tackle, Anthony Davis, A href="http://blogs.mycentraljersey.com/rutgers/2009/08/11/day-1-camp-notes/">practiced with the second team offense after showing up to camp a little overweight. ... North Carolina signee Donte Moss, an elite, five-star prospect at defensive end, will face "internal discipline" after a misdemeanor arrest for assault stemming from a dorm room fight with a teammate last month. ... Notre Dame receiver Duval Kamara will be sidelined by knee surgery for the next two weeks of practice. ... Ticket sales are up at Pittsburgh, not so much for the Labor Day showdown between Florida State and Miami. ... Texas' own players couldn't even name the Longhorns' leading tackler last year. ... Alabama moved into its new practice digs Tuesday. ... Meanwhile, ex-Bama linebacker linebacker Ezekial Knight, shuffled from the crowded Tide roster last year due to a heart condition, is attempting to resurrect his career at Stillman College. ... I'll go ahead and give this a solid "no." ... Surprise: Lawrence Phillips is found guilty again. ...

1. Florida (53)
2. Texas (4)
3. Oklahoma (1)
4. USC (1)
5. Alabama
6. Ohio State
7. Virginia Tech
8. Penn State
9. LSU
10. Mississippi

Follow the jump for the rest of the list.

Go here to see the top quarterbacks for 2009

1. Jahvid Best, Cal–The most exciting back in the country.  Gained 1,580 yards, scored 15 TDs, averaged 8 yards per carry…and was dinged up for much of the year.  If he stays healthy, he may surpass 2,000 and have a shot at the Heisman.

2. LeGarrette Blount, Oregon–Big, bruising back with surprising athleticism.  Gained 1,002 yards, scored 17 TDs and averaged 7.3 yards per carry last year while splitting time with Jeremiah Johnson.  Now that Johnson is gone, look for Blount to have a monster season.

3. Noel Devine, West Virginia–Lightning-quick waterbug who should come into his own as a junior.  Had 1,289 yards as a sophomore and should top that easily as he’ll become the main cog in the WVU offense.

4. Evan Royster, Penn State–Had an excellent sophomore campaign with 1,236 yards and 12 TDs while averaging 6.5 yards per carry.  Strong, shifty and consistent runner who follows his blocks well.

5. Michael Smith, Arkansas–The SEC’s best back, he’ll be even more effective in year two under Bobby Petrino.  A talented smurf who gained over 1,000 yards despite injuries in 2008. 

6.  Jacquizz Rodgers, Oregon State–Was on his way to maybe 1,600 yards as a frosh, but only had 4 carries in his last three games due to injury and finished with1,253.  A low-to-the-ground runner with great instincts and eyes in the back of his head. 

7. Kendall Hunter, Oklahoma State–Nifty darter whose only drawback is his lack of true downtown speed.  A relentless back who gets better as the game goes on.  Rushed for 1,555 yards as a sophomore.

8. Chris Brown, Oklahoma–A touchdown machine, he had 1,220 yards and 20 scores last year while sharing carries with DeMarco Murray.  I expect he’ll get more carries this year as the fragile Murray will need to be managed a bit.

9. Stafon Johnson, USC–If he had the backfield to himself, he’d be a Heisman candidate, but USC’s most consistent runner must share carries with a bevy of other talented backs.  Excellent goal-line instincts. 

10. Jonathan Dwyer, Georgia Tech–Upright power back with good straight-line speed for his size.  Thrives in Paul Johnson’s scheme. 

Honorable Mention: 

C.J. Spiller, Clemson–Ultra-fast back (10.22 100m) who will get a chance to prove he can carry the full-time load now that James Davis is gone.

Toby Gerhart, Stanford–A bruising Nagurski-like bruiser who symbolizes Stanford’s new, blue-collar persona under Jim Harbaugh.

Armando Allen, Notre Dame–One of the better all-purpose backs in college football, he had 50 catches to go with 585 rushing yards and was also effective on kickoffs.

MiQuale Lewis, Ball State–Diminutive runner who rushed for 1,736 yards and scored 22 TDs.  As underrated as they come.

Joe McKnight, USC–If he ever gets his act together, McKnight could be one of the best backs in the country.  He can do it all.

New Breakout Stars on the Scene

Rodney Stewart, Colorado–It was Stewart, not the highly-touted Darrell Scott, who showed the most potential as a freshman for the Buffs last year.  I think he’ll turn into one of the most productive runners in the Big 12 this season. 

John Clay, Wisconsin–The next in a long line of star Badger backs.  Should lead the Big Ten in rushing.

Caleb King, Georgia–I’ve always liked King’s physical ability and if he puts the mental side of his game together, he could be a star.

Jermaine Thomas, Florida State–Was very good for a true frosh.  Could be scary good as a sophomore.

Mark Ingram, Alabama–With Coffee gone, he’ll have a chance to be the Tide’s workhorse (assuming he holds off a challenge from incoming frosh Trent Richardson).

• "We have no idea how long this investigation will continue."
• "No one is more anxious to bring this process to a conclusion than we are."
• "We take these allegations very seriously."
• "What we have to protect is the integrity of the athletic department."

One item not lifted straight from Damage Control 101: "About 50 people" have been interviewed by the NCAA and/or the Pac-10, with USC officials sitting in on every one except a few "from which we were excluded" by the request/demand of certain accusers.

As usual, leave the public speaking to Pete Carroll, who faced the boosters Wednesday without his usual stage partner, disgraced basketball coach Tim Floyd:

"This is me saying nothing," Carroll said ... Then his trademark candor slipped through: "I noticed, no basketball highlights tonight."

I mean, you can't expect the Humanitarian to just say nothing.

• Bruins, however, will wear nothing. Meanwhile, across town, the L.A. Times' Adam Rose was on the ground Wednesday night, inside yet another reason you should have ponied up for out-of-state tuition -- UCLA's traditional Undie Run:

Man, even the obvious nerds in L.A. are kind of cut. Maybe I should stop buying Bud Light for all my meetings ...

• Victory from retroactive defeat. Rubbernecking back to the violation beat: As expected, the NCAA officialized the probation/vacated wins rap against Alabama Thursday, eliciting either shrugs, frustration or minor hand-wringing across the board. (No one says, "Awesome job, NCAA.") Former Tide players may have been "shocked" to have their triumphs wiped from the books, but generally, if the sanctions aren't exactly a good thing, it is clear that they don't affect Alabama's ability to compete going forward.

The Birmingham News' Tide blog details the 21 'Bama wins that are now losses (at least until the inevitable appeal). That same post also provides the quote of the day, in which commenter "Alabama 88" sums up the real headline as far as most Tiders are concerned:

Big deal. No scollies lost..... Bad news for the Barnies. No vacating ANY wins vs. AUA.

Indeed, because Alabama didn't have ANY wins vs. Auburn during the years in question, on the field or in the books. Leave it to Iron Bowl hatreds to respond to news of victory turned to defeat by turning completely unrelated defeats into victory. What a country!

But my favorite reaction to the NCAA's fluffy hammer this week comes from the Boulder Daily Camera's Neill Woelk, who actually references the following scene from the 1971 quasi-classic "Big Jake" as his model for a new era of "frontier justice" by the NCAA:

Contrast Woelk's pent-up vengeance with the slightly more laid-back response to departmental scandal by the Miami Herald's Joseph Goodman, who sums up Florida's legal woes thusly:

You've got to have thugs to win football games.

Generational and geographical gaps, will your wonders never cease?

• Just doing a little field work. I'm sure it's only a coincidence that, just hours after Goodman's column went online, Miami native and Ohio State signee Jamaal Berry, maybe the most celebrated Buckeye in OSU's incoming class, decided to put the theory to test:

Berry, an incoming freshman running back who turned 18 on May 22, was arrested early yesterday in his hometown of Miami, according to court records. He was charged with possession of more than 20 grams of marijuana.

The charge is a third-degree felony, the least serious under Florida law, and is punishable by up to five years in jail and a $5,000 fine.

Twenty grams isn't quite Ramonce Taylor territory, but it is a lot. If Berry avoids the more serious penalties, he's still likely to miss the start of OSU's summer quarter (in which freshman usually enroll) and spent his first year, at least, deep inside Jim Tressel's doghouse.

Quickly ... A pair of Washington State freshmen were arrested -- though not yet charged -- on suspicion of stealing a pair of bicycles, as well as the hacksaw they used to cut them free. ... Florida's attorney general's office complains that the NCAA's secrecy in response to a Florida State appeal violates state law. ... Incoming defensive end Justin Chaisson, who had felony charges for allegedly holding a screwdriver to his girlfriend's neck and throwing her in a car reduced to misdemeanors last month, is listed on Oklahoma's pre-camp roster. ... Jake Locker is a quarterback for now, but may sign with the L.A. Angels to secure a future in baseball. ... Meanwhile, Locker's coach nailed the NCAA's recruiting exam (again.) ... Mark Richt clams up. ... Tennessee receiver Gerald Jones goes under the knife. ... Here's a scheduling idea that should trickle up: I-AA powers Appalachian State, McNeese State and Montana have agreed to six-game, home-and-home round robin through 2017. ... And it looks fun, but it's really tough growing up Samoan.

PING! Over the weekend Florida State advanced to the NCAA baseball super regionals by beating Ohio State 37-6. At the end of this shalacking, Florida State set or tied 18 NCAA, school or postseason records. You got to hand it to the Buckeyes for not quitting after trailing 32-0 in the 5th inning and taking the loss with heads held high. Ouch…

That score reminds us of the 35-3 beat down USC put on the Buckeyes last fall. The USC vs. Ohio State rematch is 9/12/09 in Columbus Ohio.

FSU beats Ohio State 37-6 in regionals [mlb.com]

Sterger, of course, is the former USF bandwagon hopper Florida State Cowgirl, former SPORTS ILLUSTRATED columnist, current New York Jets “Gameday” host, and future celebrity reality show contestant who rose to prominence after making several cameo appearances in Brent Musberger’s sexual fantasies in 2005. You may think that she’s dropped from the radar but you’d be wrong; the threat of a Sterger-dominated world is very real.

(more…)

Share This

Of the “pre-preseason” top 25s that have been issued in the past couple months, there seems to be a consensus that the Florida Gators, who lose Percy Harvin going into '09 but retain nearly everyone else of note, will once again be the team to beat; Texas and Oklahoma are also expected to return as powerhouses. Below that, though, the selections range from the brave to the downright silly. Among the most inexplicable:

•Tony Barnhart (Atlanta Journal-Constitution) was the first out of the gate, throwing up a top 25 literally the same night as the BCS National Championship Game, and it shows. Barnhart has Alabama in the top five despite the fact that they lose their starting QB (and were less than a week removed from getting punked by Utah), Oklahoma State at #7, Florida State at #12, and Vanderbilt at #25. I realize you're an SEC guy, but jeez, Tony. He also provided an object lesson in the dangers of sticking your neck out too early by putting Pittsburgh at #10 based on “running back LeSean McCoy and seven starters on defense coming back”; McCoy declared for the NFL draft less than a week later.

•Dennis Dodd (CBS Sports) shared Barnhart's optimism for Alabama (#4) and pumped Kansas at #14, saying “any team with quarterback Todd Reesing is capable of anything.” Anything except for winning the Big 12 North, evidently.

•Matt Hayes (The Sporting News) will see your Notre Dame optimism and raise you: He's got the Irish at #11 based on “the confidence QB Jimmy Clausen gained from his play at Hawaii.” Yes, there's nothing like beating up on the nation's 88th-ranked pass-efficiency defense in a bowl game to mold a player into a leader. Hayes also has Ole Miss at #5 and Auburn at #24, which would make him one of exactly four people in the country who think Auburn will be better with Gene Chizik than they were with Tommy Tuberville (and the other three are Gene Chizik, Jay Jacobs, and Jay Gogue).

•Stewart Mandel (SI.com), like Hayes, has Ole Miss at #5, and like Barnhart he gets burned by early personnel assumptions gone wrong: He puts Oklahoma State at #6, explaining that “nearly every key player is back” on the Cowboy offense, but three of OSU's top four receivers left the program for one reason or another within a month of Mandel posting his list. He's also got Florida State at #18.

•Jon Wilner (San Jose Mercury News) says he updated his list on January 21, which makes one wonder what his original rankings looked like. He's got Florida State at #7 and Oklahoma State at #6, saying he actually dropped the Cowboys because he's “now counting [the Oklahoma game] as a loss for OSU.” The Sooners, last seen piling 61 points on the Cowboys, are grateful for your generosity, sir. Wilner also thinks Pitt and West Virginia will be better without LeSean McCoy and Pat White, respectively — he's got both in his top 25 despite the fact that neither team cracked the final coaches' poll of 2008.

•College Football News is buying into the ACC big-time in '09: They've got North Carolina at #9, Georgia Tech at #11, and Clemson at #15. And based on their color-coding system, CFN thinks Miami “should be worse” than they were last year, yet they've still got the Hurricanes, 7-6 and unranked at the end of 2008, at #19 on their list. Strangely, the one ACC team to get downgraded relative to last season is the defending conference champions — Virginia Tech winds up just one slot ahead of the 'Canes.

•Mark Schlabach (ESPN.com) has also revised an earlier list, but he's still got Alabama at #4 despite openly conceding what huge losses John Parker Wilson and Andre Smith will be; he's also got Notre Dame at #22.

- - -
Doug Gillet is the proprietor of Hey Jenny Slater and a regular contributor to Dr. Saturday.

Charles, one of the nation's top unsigned players, said Monday that he will make a decision during the week after he returns from California, or at the latest by March 6.

"I want to relax and think about everything besides USC," Charles said.

Nice to see Orson taking his time with the recruiting process.  National Signing Day has the mad rush feel where kids make hasty decisions and emotionally charged last-minute switches.  I'm actually surprised more kids don't take the route Orson is taking. 

Plant (Tampa, Fla.) WR/TE Orson Charles notified Sporting News Today early this morning that he has eliminated Florida State from contention for his services. 

The 6-foot-3, 230-pound pass target will now choose from Florida, Georgia, Tennessee and USC.

Although TE is not a big priority in this class, it's hard to pass up a quality talent like Orson.  Hopefully Pete can pull off his magic.  The last player we recruited from Plant High School turned out to be pretty good ;-)...

1. Alabama (12-0) .9713 1 1 2815 .9965 1 1521 .9974 3 92 .920
2. Oklahoma (11-1) .9351 3 4 2569 .9094 2 1397 .9161 1 98 .980
3. Texas (11-1) .9223 2 3 2575 .9115 3 1396 .9154 2 94 .940
4. Florida (11-1) .8851 4 2 2619 .9271 4 1385 .9082 6 82 .820
5. USC (10-1) .8076 5 5 2378 .8418 5 1298 .8511 8 73 .730
6. Utah (12-0) .7844 6 7 2111 .7473 7 1153 .7561 5 85 .850
7. Texas Tech (11-1) .7805 7 8 2090 .7398 8 1116 .7318 4 87 .870
8. Penn State (11-1) .7373 8 6 2177 .7706 6 1176 .7711 9 67 .670
9. Boise State (12-0) .7034 9 9 1937 .6857 9 1044 .6846 7 74 .740
10. Ohio State (10-2) .6340 10 10 1856 .6570 10 999 .6551 11 59 .590
11. Texas Christian (10-2) .5633 14 12 1502 .5317 11 836 .5482 10 61 .610
12. Ball State (12-0) .5306 15 11 1526 .5402 13 765 .5016 12 55 .550
13. Cincinnati (10-2) .4831 16 13 1425 .5044 12 770 .5049 15 44 .440
14. Oklahoma State (9-3) .4276 12 14 1217 .4308 15 613 .4020 T-13 45 .450
15. Georgia Tech (9-3) .4046 22 16 1065 .3770 16 590 .3869 T-13 45 .450
16. Georgia (9-3) .3311 11 20 833 .2949 19 440 .2885 16 41 .410
17. Boston College (9-3) .3202 21 19 834 .2952 20 435 .2852 17 38 .380
18. Brigham Young (10-2) .3142 18 17 990 .3504 18 461 .3023 18 29 .290
19. Oregon (9-3) .3041 23 15 1076 .3809 14 658 .4315 23 10 .100
20. Missouri (9-3) .2818 13 18 896 .3172 17 470 .3082 20 22 .220
21. Michigan State (9-3) .2550 19 21 688 .2435 21 414 .2715 19 25 .250
22. Northwestern (9-3) .1216 24 22 414 .1465 22 333 .2184 NR 0 .000
23. Pittsburgh (8-3) .1012 25 23 346 .1225 23 154 .1010 T-24 8 .080
24. Florida State (8-4) .0768 20 29 30 .0106 29 15 .0098 21 21 .210
25. Virginia Tech (8-4) .0573 NR 27 71 .0251 26 41 .0269 22 12 .120